Meaning of jobsworth | Babel Free

Definitions

A person who upholds trivial rules unnecessarily and obstructively in order to exercise their (typically minor) authority.

British, derogatory, informal

Equivalents

Examples

“The usual council jobsworths came down to tell⟳ them to stop⟳ playing football.”

“For many people, however, the stress⟳ of not having the correct⟳ ticket for a train⟳ or bus journey can lead⟳ to a particularly uncomfortable feeling … fear that they might encounter a jobsworth. […] Someone who has been caught out by a jobsworth, will probably accuse them of being an embittered, mean-spirited inadequate who are using their status to give⟳ themselves faux importance, justifying their actions by their twin mantras of "Rules is rules" and, inevitably, "It's more than my job's worth."”

“Everyone knows a jobsworth. They are in our offices: the keeper of the stationery cupboard and the grumpy security guard. They add⟳ crucial extra minutes to the daily commute: the traffic warden who stands waiting for the time to tick over, the bus driver who drives past as you sprint for the bus stop⟳.”

“But as within the rest⟳ of the civil service, competent, bright and ambitious staff who work⟳ long hours and often juggle multiple roles co-exist with the old-school jobsworths who punch-out the instant their daily seven hours 12 minutes are up.”

CEFR level